Damian Jennings Named GB Senior Women’s Coach

Damian Jennings, former assistant to Tom Maher, has been appointed as Head Coach of the GB Senior Women’s team as this summer’s Eurobasket Women fast approaches.

With British Basketball’s funding allocation now in place, they have been swift in confirming their first hiring for the summer and he is no stranger to the organisation.

Jennings, who left the UK at the beginning of the season to coach in Canada at the University of Calgary (where he has just been named Canada West Coach of the Year), has been involved with GB basketball since its inception in 2006, working with the Under-20 Women’s programme, the World University Games team and the Senior Women’s national side.

“Having been part of the coaching team since 2006 I’m honoured to have been given the chance to lead British Basketball’s Women’s programme into EuroBasket 2013,” he said on news of his appointment. “We are ambitious and we want to build a team capable of challenging for honours at the top of the international game.

“After convincing UK Sport that basketball was worthy of investment, we have a tough challenge ahead, but it’s one I know both staff and players will thrive on. We want to deliver the best performances possible at the up-coming EuroBasket in France.”

As head coach to the GB Under-20s he led the team to promotion in 2010 after winning Division B, and then to a best ever performance by a British team when they reached the quarter finals of Division A in 2011. More recently he was part of Tom Maher’s Senior Women’s coaching team in their build up to the London Olympics.

Jennings will be assisted by Ken Shields and Vanessa Ellis and supported by team manager, Lucy Power. Training camp will open 4th May.

British Basketball’s Head of Performance, Warwick Cann added: “The funding debate has impacted on the timing for finalising the coaching team, but I’m glad that we can now move forward with our task. British Basketball is pleased that we have such an excellent staff team in place, which will hit the ground running for our May start.”